TP: The Israeli high court on Tuesday upheld a request by far-right Jewish activists to enter Islam’s third holiest shrine, the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, which is also revered by Jews as the Temple Mount.The decision to allow the controversial visit to the east Jerusalem mosque compound on Thursday was taken despite police warnings that it could spark riots in Israel and the occupied territories.”The petitioners… will be allowed to enter Temple Mount during visiting hours,” the court decision read.

The small Temple Mount Faithul group requested to visit the compound, where according to Jewish tradition Herod’s Temple stood, to mark the Jewish day of mourning for its destruction in 70 BC.

But despite its controversial decision, the court ordered the group’s leader, Gershon Salomon, to stay clear from the area of the Temple Mount or the adjacent Western Wall.

The court also ruled that the far-right group, which counts only a few dozen members, should “not be allowed to carry placards or act in a provocative manner.”

Israeli Arab MP Mohammed Barakeh said in reaction that allowing the activists to enter the compound would lead to a flare-up.

“The decision is petrol in the hands of declared pyromaniacs and could lead to further violence,” he said.

A police spokesman told AFP that “they will not be allowed to pray inside the esplanade and they won’t be allowed to enter unless it is open for visits.”

A similar court decision in July 2001 sparked bloody clashes in Jerusalem in which 15 Israeli policemen and 18 Palestinians were wounded.